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FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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This list is not an endorsement of any particular award booking service.
Please do your research and read this thread.

Please refer to the FT Disclaimers for disclaimer of responsibility for use of these services, etc.

Please feel free add other services and options you are aware of to this wiki.

Also, please post any personal experiences you may have with any of these services in this thread.

Reviews which appear to have been solicited by the service providers based upon content and posting history will be deleted. If you are a brand new or a member with a low post count and wish that your post not be deleted, please be sure to include the following details in your review: program(s), number of miles or points and the desired destinations and hotels. Please also include the itinerary booked by the service including the airlines, routing and hotels, the number of points needed to book that trip and the fee charged.

Award booking services (alphabetical):

Award Advocate - Domestic $100 p/p International $125 p/p, no additional charge for last minute. Changes $50. Also 10% discount for families traveling with children and active military
Award Booking Service - $25 up front search fee plus $150/ticket & $49 per 30-minute skype consultations (ask anything!)
Award Butler - Award Search: $79 for up to two passengers; flight info provided but does not include booking. Booking starting at $149 for first two passengers.
Award Chaser - Search fee starting at $79. Itinerary only - no booking provided
Award Expert - (MatthewLAX on FT, Live and Let's Fly blog) $150 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; $250 per person for RTW; $50/ticket booking fee.
Award Flight Assist - Specialising in Australian frequent flyer programs; from AU$199 for the first passenger, additional charges for complex itineraries and more passengers
Award Planners - One way $129, additional person $99; Round trip $199, additional person $99; Multi City $249 additional person $149
Award Travel Consulting - Award Search: $125/person; Booking ticket: $75/itinerary; changes: new trip
Awardmagic - $179 per person OW/RT plus one stop or $279 per person for three or more destinations
BoundlessMiles - (Dominik Żmuda/Travelling the World): Booking: starting at $50 per passenger; Changes: half of award flight service fee paid
CabinChief - Bookings are $49 per pax
CatchUsFlying - $125 CAD/person for round-trip, $225 CAD/person for complex round-the-world. Consulting available at $75CAD/hour. (loganre17) on FT
Chatflights - Use app to chat in real time with real travel hackers to book travel for points or cash. Booking fee $295 pp coach and business, $395 pp first class.
Cranky Concierge - $75 per person each way domestic; $95 per person each way international
First Class and Beyond - "Concierge-style" bookings. Fee is based on the value of the retail ticket, $250/person minimum.
Flightfox - Consultative flight searching; fees start at $100 (requires credit card authorization up front)
Flyermiles - (Graham / YOWgary) $150 + 50 per additional person, $250 for RTW awards. Offers detailed information on how to book your own award.
iflywithmiles.com - (Mike/Melissa): 150 USD first person, 85 for additional person on same itin. Change fees vary.
JJ Award Travel - FT Member since 2012 - No upfront fees. Basic one-way or round-trip air award travel consisting of a total of 8 legs or less for the entire itinerary: $250 for the first person and $125 for each additional person. Complex one-way or round-trip air award travel consisting of a total of 9 or more legs per direction is additional. FT members get a 10% discount.
Loophole Travel - Award Travel Coaching $150 for first passenger and $100 for each additional passenger. Points Earning and MS Coaching also available.
Luxury Travel Consulting - (Jasper2009 on Flyertalk): $150 per person per ticket
Miles Help - Domestic: $100 OW; $140 RT/complex. International: $150 OW; $200 RT/complex. $50 each additional person
Miles Momma Booking Services - Airline Booking: $200 up to 2 passengers. $75 additional passengers. $50 non-refundable up front. Changes $50
MileValue Award Booking Service - (Scott Grimmer): Booking: $125 per person per award; $15 up front. Full payment required for successful search even if not booked. Change fee not currently listed; previously $79
PMM Travel Consulting - (Miguel R. Quinones/AwardWallet Blog): Booking: $125 per passenger for the first two, $99 for each additional. Additional charges for complex itineraries. Credit card advice and travel planning services.
Point.me - merger of services formerly provided by PointsPro (Ben Schlappig/One Mile At a Time) and Juice Miles
Reward Flyer - Domestic: $50 first person; $25 each additional person. International: $100 first person; $50 each additional person
SFO777.com - (SFO777 on FT) Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; change fees vary
Travel Codex - Per person pricing: $50 for North America award / $100 for International award.
The Flying Mustache - $100 per ticket; additional fees for more than eight segments. Change fees vary
The Short Final - $100 per person. $100 upfront deposit that is fully refundable if no itinerary found.
Travel Is The Point - USA, Canada/Mexico & the Caribbean – starting at $50 per person. All Other International Destinations – starting at $100 per person.
zainman - FT member since 2009. Booking: $200 first passenger, $100 each additional passenger; change fees vary, consultant services for $ as well
Zero Hassle Rewards - $100 per person. Discounts for domestic and one-way

Award booking services - a list and some reviews

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Jun 21, 2013, 6:11 am

#151

travelkid

Suspended

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more

Posts: 3,360

Quote:

Originally Posted by mapleexecutivelivery

there are many lists available on website but how could we make sure all are corect.

Links to other sites/sites?

Jun 24, 2013, 11:10 am

#152

b8b

Join Date: Dec 2006

Location: SXSW

Programs: DL Plat; HH Diamond; SPG & Hyatt Plat

Posts: 996

Matthew at www.UPGRD.com is great! Very thorough, extremely knowledgeable, patient, and put together a great solution for me and my family that was very difficult.

Very prompt service, very polite, and organized. He gave us several options and chocies and founds routings I didn't even think of. Highly recommended!

Jun 24, 2013, 3:32 pm

#153

UAFlyer

Join Date: Nov 2000

Location: Fremont, CA, USA. UA Premier Platinum 1MM

Posts: 331

Couldn't agree more

Quote:

Originally Posted by b8b

^ I kept running into walls with the hang up and callback approach, the system won't price out a routing that's perfectly legal, and Matthew delivered the magic.

Jul 18, 2013, 12:27 pm

#154

yerffej201

Join Date: Nov 2011

Posts: 6,385

Change

Last edited by yerffej201; Sep 18, 2013 at 11:56 am

Jul 18, 2013, 5:36 pm

#155

travelkid

Suspended

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more

Posts: 3,360

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

http://boardingarea.com/canadiankilo...oking-service/

I am very happy to offer a free award booking service!

Nice initiative, but before anyone are fooled pls see this text from the link "I am very happy to offer a PAY OUR OWN PRICE award booking service!".

Will you add a function where you let clients pay their own price directly to the non-profit organisation? Which one is it?

Jul 18, 2013, 10:46 pm

#156

MatthewLAX

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Feb 2007

Location: Los Angeles / Basel

Programs: UA 1K MM, AA EXP, Hyatt Globalist

Posts: 26,930

Quote:

Originally Posted by b8b

Quote:

Originally Posted by UAFlyer

^ I kept running into walls with the hang up and callback approach, the system won't price out a routing that's perfectly legal, and Matthew delivered the magic.

Thank you both for your kinds words and I look forward to working with you again.

Jul 24, 2013, 3:39 pm

#157

solstys

Join Date: Feb 2013

Posts: 71

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

I'm not trying to fool anyone. I encourage people to offer me $0, unless they really want to, and I will gladly do award bookings for free.

If I do get revenue I will be very transparent about where that goes. I'm going to have a post where readers can vote for which organization to donate to.

This is great. I don't have anything to book now, but would definitely be interested for my next international trip.

Jul 24, 2013, 8:10 pm

#158

yerffej201

Join Date: Nov 2011

Posts: 6,385

Quote:

Originally Posted by solstys

This is great. I don't have anything to book now, but would definitely be interested for my next international trip.

Just note that I have 100+ requests in the queue right now, so expect waiting time of 15+ days.

Jul 26, 2013, 9:17 am

#159

travelkid

Suspended

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more

Posts: 3,360

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

Just note that I have 100+ requests in the queue right now, so expect waiting time of 15+ days.

I think my former analysis still stands then.

Response time of 15+ days would make this useless to me, and to most if not all I have helped with bookings.

Jul 26, 2013, 1:13 pm

#160

shanshan

Join Date: Apr 2008

Programs: CO Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold

Posts: 230

Award booking service?

I need someone ASAP to run through my father-in-laws points and put together a multi-segment itinerary. I also need them to do that for me and my wife. So flight plans for 5 people (3 multi-segment, and 2 round trip), using a combination of Amex, United, Chase and AA miles. Needs to be explored asap.

Who is the BEST for this? I know there are multiple options floating out there, but who are the BEST?

I am OK paying a fee for someone's time (and would hope they would give me a discount for multiple business!)

Thank you

Jul 26, 2013, 2:09 pm

#161

jerryhung

Join Date: Mar 2007

Posts: 4,784

See this big list/thread?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...ices-list.html

Canadian Kilometer recently started a "pay you wish" service, but I'm sure if you offer a nice price he could probably help you out faster
http://boardingarea.com/canadiankilo...oking-service/

Jul 26, 2013, 2:25 pm

#162

shanshan

Join Date: Apr 2008

Programs: CO Plat, SPG Gold, HHonors Gold

Posts: 230

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerryhung

Sorry about that. Missed that big posting! I did a search, and it clearly was a poor search.

Thanks

Jul 27, 2013, 12:52 pm

#163

travelkid

Suspended

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more

Posts: 3,360

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

It's not response time 15+ days, it's wait time 15+ days.

Any practical difference for the client?

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

Should you wish to use a pay your own price award booking service, you use me. Should you wish to pay hundred+ bucks if you don't want to be in the queue, then use someone else.

As always there is no such thing as a free lunch. Such a long wait may see you loose those award seats you otherwise could have gotten, and in worst case force you to buy tickets meaning this free deal may cost you more than a lot $-wise.

Jul 27, 2013, 2:56 pm

#164

yerffej201

Join Date: Nov 2011

Posts: 6,385

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelkid

Any practical difference for the client?

As always there is no such thing as a free lunch. Such a long wait may see you loose those award seats you otherwise could have gotten, and in worst case force you to buy tickets meaning this free deal may cost you more than a lot $-wise.

I make it very clear that should they have an urgent request to find someone else.

Jul 27, 2013, 4:45 pm

#165

travelkid

Suspended

Join Date: Sep 2009

Programs: Gold, plat, diamond and more

Posts: 3,360

Quote:

Originally Posted by yerffej201

I make it very clear that should they have an urgent request to find someone else.

15 days+ response is far from urgent.

Not sure if your double emoticons are symbolizing any customer service level above the slow response to be expected, but as always- buyers be aware.

Its as stated not only about being urgent, but as well about seats disappearing, making the total far more expensive for the client needing to buy tickets instead, among other issues.

I guess there is no more point bumping this thread for the sake of marketing your service. And dont get me wrong. I appreciate any free alternatives, and I just want to point out the disadvantages of such service, if they are not clear enough.

And I just hope that this is not a marketing platform, where you after getting clients will start to charge all, or offer a more costly premium service etc. IMO.

Last edited by travelkid; Jul 28, 2013 at 3:12 pm Reason: added "y"